School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Singapore
Singapore: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 6.02 years in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
6.02 years
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
93rd
of 218 countries
All-time high
6.8 years
in 1984
All-time low
5.85 years
in 1994
Years of data
27
1970–2023
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Singapore, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Singapore stood at 6.02 years.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Singapore peaked at 6.8 years in 1984 and was at its lowest, 5.85 years, in 1994.
Singapore ranks 93rd of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Singapore, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6.33 years | — |
| 1971 | 6.26 years | -1.1% |
| 1972 | 6.28 years | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 6.24 years | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 6.28 years | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 6.33 years | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 6.37 years | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 6.43 years | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 6.45 years | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 6.46 years | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 6.5 years | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 6.73 years | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 6.8 years | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 6.36 years | -6.5% |
| 1994 | 5.85 years | -8.0% |
| 1995 | 5.87 years | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 6.04 years | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 6.08 years | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 6.07 years | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 6.05 years | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 6.04 years | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 6.02 years | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 6.04 years | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 6.03 years | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 5.99 years | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 5.97 years | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 6.02 years | +0.7% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's 6.02 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.86 years, 1.0× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Singapore's 6.02 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6.02 years, 1.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.34 years | 6.24 years | 6.46 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.59 years | 6.36 years | 6.8 years | 4 |
| 1990s | 5.86 years | 5.85 years | 5.87 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.06 years | 6.04 years | 6.08 years | 3 |
| 2010s | 6.04 years | 6.02 years | 6.05 years | 4 |
| 2020s | 6 years | 5.97 years | 6.03 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
More education data for Singapore
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 13,601 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 336 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 9,429 (1989)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 8,429 (1989)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 163,746 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 238,816 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.4 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0404 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Singapore?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Singapore was 6.02 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 6.8 years in 1984.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.85 years in 1994.
- How does Singapore rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Singapore ranks 93rd out of 218 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Singapore data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release